Elderly abuse is a frighteningly common occurrence in the
United States. This phenomenon may take numerous forms, including physical
abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse, and neglect. The
often are often comparatively frail and weak, making it difficult for them to
defend themselves against elderly abuse and exploitation.
Individuals who are
suffering from conditions such as dementia are generally susceptible to
manipulation because they are unable to effectively gauge the behavior of the
people around them. It is common for elderly individuals to be subjected to,
too, psychological abuse. This abuse may be intentional, or may take the form
of implicit discrimination.
Each of these forms of abuse are
particularly heinous crimes and may cause long term physical and emotional
damage. Because of their inability to adequately defend themselves, abuse of
the elderly is often compared to child abuse in cruelty and
severity.
In most cases, abuse of the elderly is inflicted by individuals that are close
to the victim. Generally, the individuals that are responsible for elderly
abuse are people to whom care for the victim has been trusted. Most often, elderly
abuse occurs at the victim’s present residence, and it is the people living
with the victim or him/her care that are most often responsible for subjecting
him/her to abuse. Many of the perpetrators guilty of abuse of the elderly
are individuals related to the victim. In many instances, it is the victim’s
children who are responsible for this physical or psychological harm.
The
perpetrator may also be another relative or a family friend that spends a
substantial amount of time with the victim. In some cases, it is even the
victim’s spouse responsible for the damage caused. Overall, the victim’s
primary caretaker is commonly to blame for elderly abuse; along these lines,
the staff at hospitals and nursing homes are often accused of abuse of the
elderly. Many people do not understand how these people, who are supposed to
love and care for the victim, subject him/her to this adverse behavior.
There is no adequate excuse for elderly abuse and reason offered by
perpetrators that can justify their behavior. However, there are specific
causes that are often cited as provoking the abuse of the elderly. As
individuals age, they often suffer from from mental conditions, such as
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
These disorders often cause sufferers to
become confused, disoriented, and aggressive. As a result of their inability to
understand their surroundings and recognize the people around them, individuals
suffering from these disorders often become scared and violent. As it becomes
increasingly difficult to handle these patients, caretakers become frustrated
and defeated. They often allow their negative emotions to progress to rage, and
eventually they may resort to violent and abusive behavior.
Meanwhile,
financial abuse is generally the result of manipulative individuals looking for
a defenseless and oblivious target to exploit. In all, there are many different
reasons an individual may subject an elder to abuse.
